What it's like to live in Soledad
Soledad is a small city in California with household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Soledad deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, unemployment above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Clean air
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment
- Above-average commute times
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
How Soledad compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Soledad
Based on Soledad's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,396
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $67,920 a year
- 51% of Soledad renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$119,180
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $59,590
- Homes cost 6.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 20% above US
$1,698/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,698 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $595,900. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $595,900 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 163% above US
11.3% unemployment
Unemployment here is 11.3%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 27% below US
240 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1131/100k · Soledad Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 15% above US
30 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 82% below US
6% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
11 public schools inside the boundary
There are 11 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Pinnacles National Park (10 miles away).
Bottom line
Soledad's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,698/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Soledad
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